India considers banning elephant rides

Elephant riding in Goa and Rajasthan may be banned by India's Supreme Court after the popular tourist past time came under scrutiny by officials, according to The Times of India.

A number of judges voiced their concerns that the animals might possibly be subject to torture at the hands of their owners at popular tourist locations and requested a response from the Rajasthan and Goa governments to examine within four weeks.

The court passed the order after a petition was filed by the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, which alleged that elephants used to transport tourists up a hill to Amber Fort - a major tourist attraction - were not being taken care of adequately.

According to the petition, 80 out of the 130 elephants used for tourism purposes in Jaipur are kept in private sheds with no facilities to cater for their basic needs. As a result, they suffer from “infections, back swelling and show symptoms of depression,” the Times reported.

The elephants are used to transport tourists to Amber Fort

The petition, which was filed by advocate Aparna Bhat, also claimed “These elephants are subjected to intense and relentless physical and mental cruelty and are made to live in extremely poor conditions. Elephants are made to work tirelessly in the scorching heat without any readily available access to water for them to drink. “

It called for the riding of elephants to be banned, arguing that the conditions the elephants are forced to live under are a violation of Indian law.

Elephants can be made to carry up to four tourists at a time

As well as a petition, the Times said the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre had also conducted a survey, finding that many of the elephants in Jaipur had injuries that suggested continuous chaining and tethering – which is against the law.

The Telegraph’s India Expert Gill Charltonwelcomed the scrutiny, saying: “These elephants are regularly mistreated, housed in cramped conditions, and have to work in the heat of the day without proper access to food and water, and all so that tourists can go for a joy ride.”

Elephant riding has long been a topic of debate within the travel and tourism industry, with tour operators dropping rides from their itineraries as concerns surrounding welfare and pressure from animal rights groups continues to increase.